


When You're Not Strong Enough

by chocobocolollie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Hope vs. Despair, Hopeful Ending, Kingdom Hearts III Speculation, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 02:06:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17540597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocobocolollie/pseuds/chocobocolollie
Summary: On the battlefield Sora struggles to fight against the seekers of darkness. One by one his friends begin to vanish. Not having the strength to go on he begins to give in. Only for help to come from an unexpected place.





	When You're Not Strong Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Basically this is my interpretation of the thousand heartless/nobody/unversed battle shown in the final battle trailer. So essentially no spoilers seeing as I have not seen any leaks or played the game yet.

One by one Sora’s friends were ripped away from him. The first to go was Donald. He stood defiantly before Xehanort, his staff held high in the air. All of his magic power seeped into the vessel. As the darkness drew closer Donald released all the pent up energy in one final blast. A flurry of blinding beams shot from the magician’s rod colliding directly with the coiling dark energy. The beams then twisted into a barrier, winding around to encase the group in a faintly glowing bubble. Wind kicks up dirt around them obscuring their view of the outside. It is only when the dust settles that Donald ceases his attack. The staff he held slips from his fingers clattering to the ground. In the blink on an eye the duck collapses as well. His face collides with the ground, body unmoving.

King Mickey and Goofy rush to aid their friend and comrade. The heartless continue to swarm the keyblade wielders. Creeping closer as second after agonizing second ticks by. As Goofy keeps watch over Donald, the king strengthens his resolve. Keyblade in hand Mickey rushes to intercept one of the various cloaked figures. They could not afford to lose hope. Not on this battlefield. The warriors break apart, each forced into separate battles.

Lea is the next to fall. His body is barraged with red plasma bullets. They sear through his clothes colliding directly into his flesh. Agonizing screams fill the air. Xemnas has a maniacal gleam in his eye as he watches the ex-assassin suffer. Standing loyally by his side is Isa. A menacing glow surrounds his form as unfocused yellow eyes watch the show. Lea wasn’t sure what hurt the most. The bullets slamming into his body or the fact that his old friend merely watched as if he was part of a show.

“Isa...why..?” The betrayal Lea felt only furthered his despair. An invisible knife dug further into his heart twisting and turning.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity the attacks stop. Lea’s half-conscious body crumples to the ground. It takes all his strength to keep his eyes open only a small fraction. His gaze does not settle on Isa standing before him. Nor does it stop on Xemnas who took no pity on the traitor. No. They scan across the battlefield in search of one soul. The one he had the most confidence in. A boy who would finish everything for those who have fallen. It is just a glimpse but Lea sees him running across the dust covered earth, keyblade in hand. The expression upon his face was an exact match to the redhead's sea-salt loving best friend.

A ghost of a smile escapes Lea’s lips. His eyes close fully cutting off his view of the teen. Exhaustion begins to fully consume him dragging him further into slumber. “Stay strong….Sora.”

Kairi is a hero up until the very end. Although still new at being a keyblade wielder she held her own on the battlefield. Her weapon sliced through heartless and unversed alike. Previously she heard the cries of her training partner amidst the fighting. Now they have died out and Kairi made it her sole duty to locate Lea.

“Get out of my way!” Bringing her keyblade down like a hammer it tears through the skin of a shadow turning it to mist. Cerulean eyes quickly shift onto their next target. That’s when she spots him.

“Axel!”

The flame-wielder’s black cloak had a few tears in the fabric. His body remained still even as Kairi slide across the ground to his side. She called out to him, shaking his shoulders and touching his face to stir him into consciousness. Sadly all her efforts were futile. Lea was no closer to waking and they were still in danger.

“Don’t worry Axel, I’ll protect you.” Kairi allows her keyblade to disappear and grabs the older man underneath his arms. The obvious height and weight ratio between the two of them proved to be more than she bargained for. Regardless Kairi pressed on, dragging Lea away from the fighting and toward a boulder not too far off. At the moment they were both in the clear. The enemies seemed to more focused on her remaining friends. At least, for the time being.

A shield suddenly flies past her head almost grazing her cheek. Startled Kairi nearly drops Lea onto the ground but quickly tightens her hold. Whipping her head around she sees the retreating black mist signifying the remains of a heartless. Turning back into the direction from where the shield was thrown Kairi is met with the sight of Goofy. The talking dog had his back turned to her and held his shield in a defensive position. Donald was nowhere to be seen and she feared for the mage’s wellbeing.

“You best get moving now. I won’t let any of them bad guys touch ya.” Goofy spares Kairi a glance giving the teen a reassuring smile.

Utilizing this chance Kairi begins to drag Lea once more. “Thank you Goofy.” She wanted to fight alongside him but her priority was getting Lea to safety. With a newfound sense of conviction the redhead manages to pull the man behind the boulder. His body all but collapses against her as she leans his back against the hard surface.

After ensuring he won’t fall over Kairi allows herself a breather. Keyblade once again in hand she presses her back against the boulder, sliding to sit on the ground. In the distance she could hear Goofy leading the heartless away from their location. Somewhere else there’s a loud clash of metal upon metal. Either Riku or Sora. Her two friends which she hadn’t been able to keep track of since the fighting began.

Exhaustion washed over her body. Enticing her to rest and reminding her of the minor injuries she’s sustained. Kairi’s hand brushed against her side feeling the bruise from beneath her dress. A reminder of the dusk that landed a kick to her side. She struggles to stay awake. Even as the ground begins to shake and many of the shadow heartless begin to converge.

The rumbling intensifies. A yelp followed by a yell clearly belonging to Goofy pierces the air. Kairi’s eyes snap open. Her fingers tighten around the handle of her keyblade. It is then that she sees just what swept away her comrade. Flailing wildly through the air is a heartless swarm. The wave soared through the air twisting and turning. It smashes to the ground and continues to carry on distributing heartless while also sucking them in.

That’s when it happens. Kairi hears Sora scream her name. The heartless wave was flying right toward herself and Lea. In a last ditch effort to protect him, Kairi flings her body atop his.

“Axel!”

A scream tears through her throat. Instantly her body is torn away from Lea. Kairi could only watch helplessly as the redhead disappears from view. Sora’s hand reaches out to her, yet he is too far away to grab her.

“Sora!” She hears herself call out to him anyway. Even as she loses sight of him. Even as the heartless take her away and swallow her up.

“Kairi no!”

Despair hung heavy around Sora. Seeing both Kairi and Lea vanish before his eyes left a sinking feeling in his stomach. He could no longer find Donald or the King either. They too were snatched away by the heartless wave as was Goofy. Only their cries of alarm were heard before the air was filled once more with the noise of battle. The weight upon his shoulders had grown considerably. Too preoccupied with his own thoughts he fails to see the heartless wave racing toward his direction.

“I-I can’t do this alone...without my friends I’m...powerless.” Sora’s voice wavered as his knees collide with the dirt. His keyblade briefly clattered on the ground beside him then vanished in a burst of light.

The heartless crept closer to Sora. Various head and hands molding and morphing to maintain the tube-like structure their bodies had formed. Looping high into the air the heartless wave halts for a moment. Hundreds of glowing yellow eyes glared down at the crestfallen keyblade wielder. Nearby Master Xehanort watched on with a triumphant smirk. He relished in the demise of the warriors of light. Everything was going according to plan.

“Relying on others may be your greatest strength. However it is also what will lead to your downfall foolish child.” Master Xehanort speaks aloud regardless of the keyblade wielder being capable of hearing him.

Tears pricked the corners of Sora’s eyes. His palms laid flat against the ground as he stared at the hardened earth. “How am I supposed to keep going? Everyone is...gone..”

It’s when Riku perishes that Sora is hit with absolute agony. The exact moment that his heart ripped in half. The action is so sudden he isn’t given the time to properly mourn. His best friend since the very beginning had fought valiantly by his side. Slashing his way through enemy forces just to protect them. Even traversing through the realm of darkness just to rescue a person that no longer wished to be saved. Utilizing all his knowledge of a keyblade master to thwart Xehanort’s plan in any way possible. If only he acted sooner then maybe he could of at least saved Riku.

Not wasting anymore time the heartless wave flies parallel to the ground. It writhed with anticipation eager to gobble up the brunet. However before it can get within a few feet of Sora, someone stands in the way. Their keyblade is raised in the air combating against the forces of darkness. The silver gleam of their keyblade became more prominent as two forms of magic clashed together.

“Sora.” Said brunet’s head snaps up at the voice calling out his name.

Ocean eyes nearly spill even more tears at the sight of his long time friend. His broad back faced him as he held off the heartless. Wind and dirt whipped around his hair and clothing. The sheer power he exerted was just enough to protect himself and Sora. The silver-haired male’s keyblade practically sliced through the assault deterring the forces to either side.

“Sora.” Riku starts again. “You don’t mean that. If anyone is the strongest here it’s you. You’ll be the one to end this.” Turning to glance over his shoulder Riku gives a small smile. One that Sora can’t force himself to return.

It is then that he realizes just what Riku meant. A sudden chill runs down Sora’s spine. He was going to sacrifice himself. To ensure that one of them would survive to end this for good. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his hand reaches feebishly out to stop Riku.

“You can’t do this! I can’t lose you too!” His cries fall on deaf ears as Riku merely gives him a sad smile. Conjuring as much dark fire as he can muster the silver-haired male pours it all into one final attack. Heartless screech at the unbearable heat. Many disintegrate into mist while others begin to cower away. The purple flames burned brighter with each passing moment. Once it reaches its peak, an explosion reverberates through the ravine.

The sheer force throws Sora backwards. His body skids and tumbles. Hot air blows fiercely past his face. An anguished cry tears through his throat. Hands pounding harshly on the ground he mourns his friends. He couldn’t do this alone. Riku was wrong. Without their help he would be powerless against the thirteen seekers of darkness. Sora’s forehead falls to rest against the dirt. Through broken sobs he struggled desperately to hold on to what hope remained in his heart.

“Xehanort had everything p-planned from the very beginning. We never s-stood a chance!”

 _“So what? Are you going to just give up now?”_  

A gasp escapes the brunet as he instantly recognizes the voice. It was one he heard in his head a few times. Although surprised Sora does not move. He does however, fight to stop the tears pouring from his cerulean orbs. When he doesn’t respond the voice continues.

_“Come on Sora, giving up has never been in your nature.”_

Sora’s body goes rigid. The boy wasn’t taunting him more like encouraging in his own way. It’s a struggle but the spikey brunet raises his head. An intensity fills his eyes as a ghost-like body appears by his side. The soft golden glow around them gives him a tiny sense of happiness.

Blonde spikey hair. The same cerulean blue eyes as his own. A long black coat with silver accents. In each hand he held a keyblade. One pure white, the other dark obsidian. Roxas. He was by Sora’s side like always. The blonde stood menacingly over him in a battle stance. His gaze held a form of malice as he gritted his teeth. The way he stood beside Sora gave off a feeling of protection.

 _“You remember what you told that kid back in San Fransokyo?”_ Roxas turns his head slightly to the left catching Sora’s eye. If he wanted to avenge Axel he needed the help of his somebody.

A sudden realization dawns on the islander. He recalls his visit to San Fransokyo. The words he shared with Hiro whilst eating ice cream. Sora stands on his own two feet nodding to the blonde beside him. Keyblade in hand he turns to face the bringer of his despair. A newfound determination filling Sora’s heart. Their emotions mingled together. Rage, anguish, disdain and most of all, hope. Side by side they would put an end to the thirteen darknesses. Together Sora and Roxas recite the words that held a significant meaning.  

**_“When you’re not strong enough he’ll be there to make up the difference.”_ **


End file.
